10. Beyond - Mechanic Dreams

Band: Dynamical System Collective & Beyond

Album: split CD

Album Year: 2006

Label: Nulll Records

Genre(s):  Dark Ambient / Experimental

Band Website: System Collective / Beyond

Rating: 8.5/10

Tracklist:

1. DSC - Iterated Function System

2. DSC - Brownian Motion

3. DSC - Padded Room

4. DSC - Degenerative Process I

5. DSC - Degenerative Process II

6. DSC - Degenerative Process III

7. DSC - Degenerative Process IV

8. Beyond - Clockwork Labyrinth

9. Beyond - Beneath Her Darkened Spires

            Dynamical System Collective (UK) and Beyond (GER) come together on this foray into experimental ambience. Here we have an album that takes the bleakness of the ambient genre and shoots it into the cosmos. Be prepared to change…

            DSC starts the split off with two tracks that sound like the soundtrack to an extraterrestrial’s dream; quite sci-fi sounding and bizarre. Bubbling synths swirl in thick laboratory atmosphere. Padded Room greets us with a mellow rhythmic loop giving the experience an almost indigenous feel while still maintaining a strong digital presence. This is my favorite track by DSC on the split; hypnotic and beautiful, extremely conductive to creativity. And thus the Degenerative Process begins. Split over 4 tracks, mind begins to deteriorate as resonant frequencies loop and warp. Pulsating sound stretches. Modulation as the synths sound like they are controlling themselves. DSC’s effort ends on an unsettling note as what sounds like rain pounds down on sheet metal. All the while we hear echoes of a digital creature that should not be struggling to stay alive. An eerie picture indeed.

            Some of the tracks develop such a fantastic flow only to be immediately shut off by and abrupt end. This is my biggest complaint with some of the material on the split.

Also the tracks tend to be little incohesive but with the right state of mind it is possible to follow. And where these tracks take you…

            Low end creeps up and sticks to the walls as it should, providing for a smooth transition into the work of Beyond. Here we have three tracks that are much more patient than DSC’s and focus more on the drone and introspective nature of sound. That’s not to say that there is a lack of melody, however. Oscillating lines of notes drift between each other, carrying the listener on a flight into the subconscious. Buried deep in these sounds is something quite special, something quite dark. Total isolation and bleakness. Beyond concludes with an 18-minute track comprised of the ebb and flow of synthetic tide. This strong meditative piece brings the album to a perfect close.

            This split is filled with near perfect production, which I must commend the artists on. Two contributions quite different in execution and tone, somehow manage to magically work together on this split. A much more aggressive approach is taken by DSC where Beyond allows the sounds to evolve patiently. This split exhibits nothing groundbreaking new, however everything it does, it does right. DSC and Beyond put together quite an exemplary release.

-Jason

December 2006